Founded in 1837, Colby-Sawyer is a comprehensive baccalaureate college that integrates the liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation. The college is located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire.

The results are in  95.8 percent of the Colby-Sawyer College Class of 2014 nursing graduates passed the National Council Licensure Examination  Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN), administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), on their first attempt. With this first-time pass rate, Colby-Sawyer's Nursing Program has again surpassed last year's state and national averages of 83 percent. The national averages for the 2014 AprilJune examinations are yet to be published.

The NCLEX measures the competencies needed to perform safely and effectively as an entry-level nurse and are used by boards of nursing and other regulatory bodies to assist in making licensure/registration decisions and to ensure public safety.

Colby-Sawyer College is the long-time affiliated Nursing Program for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, N.H., the state's only academic medical center. The Colby-Sawyer College Nursing Program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and approved by the New Hampshire Board of Nursing.

Gladys A. Burrows Distinguished Professor of Nursing and Chair of the Nursing & Public Health Department Susan Reeves credits the graduates' dedication and hard work for their success. This achievement reflects the excellent academic and clinical preparation [nursing students] receive in [Colby-Sawyer's] program, Reeves says. Along with our partner, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), they have exposure to an outstanding learning environment in a high-performing health care organization that is often recognized for nursing excellence. The dedicated and expert faculty members from across Colby-Sawyer similarly contribute to this high quality of education.

Academic Vice President and Dean of Faculty Deborah Taylor has high praise for the faculty, staff and professionals in the field who have mentored, supported and challenged the students over their years at Colby-Sawyer for placing the program among the highest performing programs in the state and nation. The intensive curricular planning, individualized instruction and exemplary clinical experience at DHMC that led to this result are hallmarks of the excellence of the Colby-Sawyer educational experience, Taylor says. We are very proud of our graduates, and I congratulate them both on their individual success and on the quality with which they will tend the health needs of their communities.

A New Option in Colby-Sawyer's Nursing Education

Traditionally a classroom-based course of study, the Nursing and Public Health Department has launched an online R.N. to B.S. in Nursing degree that can be completed in as little as 16 months. The bachelor's completion program for practicing nurses with associate degrees in nursing will enroll its first students in September.
The R.N. to B.S. degree offers registered nurses who already hold an associate degree or nursing diploma a flexible and affordable way to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. The bachelor's degree opens doors to opportunities for new roles in a variety of healthcare settings, including leadership.

For more information on the bachelor's completion program, click here.

- Anurup Upadhyay '15

Anurup Upadhyay is a business major at Colby-Sawyer College and a student writer for College Communications.

Colby-Sawyer College is a comprehensive college that integrates the liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation. Founded in 1837, Colby-Sawyer is located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire. Learn more about the college's vibrant teaching and learning community at www.colby-sawyer.edu.